August 26, 2012

Sic Itur Ad Astra

Neil Armstrong

War hero, aviation pioneer, astronaut, and the first man to set foot on the moon, Armstrong was by all accounts a humble and decent man. He was also absolutely crucial to the Apollo programs success. Ace puts it succinctly.

No one, least of Armstrong, would say the Apollo program was a one
man show. But at several key moments, its success or failure was on him

At each of those moments he delivered. He then spent 40+ years not
tarnishing that legacy. What a loss but we were blessed to have had him

Both Gemini 8 and Apollo 11 nearly ended in disaster, but Armstrong's cool head saved them both.

His death is a grim milestone....of the12 men who walked on the moon, one third are now dead.

There is pressure to hold a state funeral for him. I think that is certainly appropriate as he is a greater hero and gentleman than many of the Presidents so honored. However, a more fitting way to honor him is to ensure that we become a space-faring civilization.